history:weather_major_events
major weather events in Australia
Introduction
2022:
2021:
major wind storms devastate much of Victoria's alpine forests
29th Oct 2021: Covid-19 lockdown ends and a strong Low pressure system brings 122kph gusts to parts of Melbourne and 143kph gusts to Wilsons Prom and Mt William in the Grampians. Some stations in SE Melbourne recorded their strongest gusts on record.
early June 2021 low pressure system produces over 200mm rainfalls and 50cm snow recorded in Vic alps flooding much of Gippsland especially Traralgon while the strong winds knocked over thousands of tall gums in the Dandenongs destroying over 120 houses and damaging a further 100-200 as well as knocking out the power grid to over 5000 homes for 4 weeks and potable water had to be trucked in. Severe storm damage especially impacted Latrobe and Baw Baw Shire with popular spots around Licola, Bruntons Bridge, Coopers Creek, Donnellys, Tarra Bulga and the Strzeleckis closed to campers for some time.
late Jan 2021, strong easterlies bring down thousands of trees in Wilsons Prom due to Low pressure systems off the NSW coast pushing Highs south-eastwards over Tasmania and creating persistent strong dry easterlies.
extreme flooding to much of NSW in March 2021 tracks down to Gippsland and Wilsons Prom
23rd March 2021:
a blocking High pressure system in the Tasman Sea creating a Low trough in eastern coast of NSW causing extreme flooding and then developed into a blocked low which travelled south to a few kms east of the Prom resulting in over 100mm rain in 2hrs at lighthouse with winds next evening gusting over 130kph. In 2 days, Tidal River recorded some 230mm rain and lost perhaps 6-10“ of beach sand and the creeks changed their route to the sea. The Park was closed for 2 days.
La Nina event of summer 2020-2021 - brings coldest summer in 19yrs for Melbourne
2020:
2019:
Dec 30th 2019:
Almost all of Tasmania (TAS) recorded accumulated monthly forest fire danger indices (FFDI) in the highest 10 per cent of historical values for December, and much of the eastern half of the state recorded its highest-ever December FFDI on 30 December. Several locations recorded temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s that day, with several experiencing a temperature record for December. TAS registered 406 lightning strikes that ignited dozens of bushfires that day, which would result in 36,000 ha burned in TAS.
Dec 2019 - hottest December day on record for Melbourne;
Dec 2019: Record warmth in Australia during December 2019 was accompanied by record low rainfall over eastern Australia, and followed very much warmer than average and drier than average conditions across much of Australia through most of the year.
“Black Summer” Nov 2019-Jan 2020, major bushfires burn much of eastern Victoria (east of Bairnsdale) and the east coast of NSW
Australia drier than usual due to a Positive Indian Dipole
2016
western Victoria and the Otways suffer heavy rains resulting in prolonged closure of the Great Ocean Rd due to landslides and rockfalls
27th Jan 2016, 1 in 100 yr rain storm delivers 40-70mm rain in 1hr causing flash flooding in Geelong, Vic
2015
2012
2011
western and central Victoria in particular affected by flooding more severe than in 2010 due to one of the strongest La Nina events since the late 1800s
flooding in western Victoria during the 2010–11 La Niña event originated from two tropical cyclones (Anthony and Yasi) which decayed over central Australia before moving south.
Averaged across Australia, 2010 and 2011 were the second and third wettest years on record, with only 1974 trumping them. If we then include the February/March 2012 event, the 24 month period from April 2010 to March 2012 was Australia’s wettest 2 year period in recorded history.
March 2011:
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Tidal River camp ground was flooded (up to one metre of water inside the park’s information centre) and the bridge over Darby River was cut stranding 300 campers and requiring helicopter transport out (including 53 picked up from Sealers Cove) after a freakish storm (thought yo be a 1 in 3000 year event) delivered 370mm rain in 24hrs (Victoria's record is 375mm in 24hrs in the Otways in 1983, next highest is 318mm at Mt Wellington in 2007 due to an east coast low). A large land slip also resulted visible from the Lilli Pilli Circut Walk in addition to land slips on the Telegraph Road which was also lost in two sections. Loo-Ern track was destroyed and the cabins had to be re-built. Debris from flooding was on top of the railing of the pedestrian bridge at Tidal River. Tidal River and areas south of Cotters Beach were closed to public for months.
February 2011 thunderstorms across Victoria led to flash flooding around Melbourne and other isolated areas, with a tremendous downpour on Mildura recording almost 270 mm of rain over 36 hours, with 145 mm in just 2 hours.
January 2011 most of Victoria was drenched with record rains.
a persistent low pressure system and this tropical moisture resulted in over 150 rainfall stations across Victoria recording their wettest January ever, as well as their highest January daily rainfall.
Many rivers experienced their highest recorded flood levels, some by a long way, with the event comparable to the historic 1909 flood on the northern rivers.
The north-west and central regions were hardest hit with the Avoca, Campaspe, Loddon and Wimmera river systems all experiencing one of the largest floods in living memory. The floods took a long time to wash down through the system, with the lower Loddon River taking months to drain downstream of Kerang in the Benjeroop area.
2010
increased rainfall bring major floods and an end to a record breaking prolonged drought in SE Aust
December 2010 again saw Major flood levels for rivers in the north-east, and severe thunderstorms resulted in significant damage over the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
November 2010 brought Major flooding to the Loddon and Avoca Rivers, with flash flooding over the western suburbs of Melbourne.
October 2010 again saw rivers in Victoria reach Major flood levels in the north-east on the Upper Murray River.
3-5th Sept 2020:
In Victoria every river basin north of the Great Dividing Range experienced Major flooding except the Campaspe River which recorded Moderate flooding.
The September 2010 flood event resulted in widespread riverine flooding and flash flooding across south-east Australia, devastating many communities.
August 2010 the first of the heavy rain began, with a State wide monthly average over 100 mm, the first time since 1993.
The drought years and Black Saturday bushfires
The 2000s drought in Australia, also known as the Millennium drought is said by some to be the worst drought recorded in Australia since European settlement
This drought affected most of southern Australia, including its largest cities and largest agricultural region (the Murray–Darling basin). It commenced with low rainfall conditions in late 1996 and through 1997, and worsened through particularly dry years in 2001 and 2002. By 2003 it was recognised as the worst drought on record.
The year 2006 was the driest on record for many parts of the country and conditions remained hot and dry through to early 2010.
The drought placed extreme pressure on agricultural production and urban water supply in much of southern Australia.
It led to the construction of six major seawater desalination plants to provide water to Australia's major cities, and to changes in the management of water in the Murray–Darling basin, particularly the formation of the Murray–Darling Basin Authority.
It culminated on 7-8th Feb 2009 with Victoria's devastating Black Saturday bushfires
followed Victoria's 15th lowest annual rainfall on record of 504mm in 2008 and 12 years drought
the fires occurred after a record 3 days straight of temperatures above 43degC.
Victoria suffered its most ferocious and tragic bushfires which suddenly roared to life after midday on Melbourne's hottest day on record when temperatures reached 46.4 degC in the CBD and 47.9deg C at nearby Avalon, while winds of 90-100kph fanned the flames forcing fires to traverse 1.5km in 5min leaving last minute escape impossible for many.
over 2000 homes were lost, 173 people died and millions of animals were killed.
Marysville, Kinglake, and Strathewen townships were devastated.
history/weather_major_events.txt · Last modified: 2022/04/15 16:33 by gary1